A Connecticut Lutheran pastor has apologized for participating in an interfaith prayer vigil for the 26 children and adults killed at a Newtown elementary school in December because his church bars its clergy from worshipping with other faiths.

The December prayer vigil was attended by President Barack Obama, leaders from Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths, and relatives of the 20 first graders who were gunned down in their classrooms two days earlier after a gunman entered their school.

The pastor, Rob Morris of Newtown's Christ the King Lutheran Church, provided the closing benediction at the interfaith event on Dec. 16.
Earlier this month, the president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Pastor Matthew Harrison, wrote a letter to church members saying he had requested an apology from Morris for his participation in "joint worship with other religions."

"There is sometimes a real tension between wanting to bear witness to Christ and at the same time avoiding situations which may give the impression that our differences with respect to who God is, who Jesus is, how he deals with us, and how we get to heaven, really don't matter in the end," Harrison wrote.

"There will be times in this crazy world when, for what we believe are all the right reasons, we may step over the scriptural line," he wrote.
Harrison said he had accepted Morris' apology.

This is not the first time a Lutheran leader has been chastised for participating in a community service in the wake of a local tragedy.

'False teaching'David Benke, a Lutheran pastor in New York, was suspended for praying at an interfaith vigil in 2001, 12 days after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Benke, who had refused to apologize for the incident, was reinstated in 2003.

In his own letter to his church, Morris wrote that it was not his intent to endorse "false teaching" and apologized to those who believed he had.
"I did not believe my participation to be an act of joint worship, but one of mercy and care to a community shocked and grieving an unspeakably horrific event," he wrote. "I apologize where I have caused offense by pushing Christian freedom too far, and I request you charitably receive my apology."

The Missouri synod of the Lutheran Church seems to get more right wing crazy every day.

Apparently. I was initially confused by this story, because I was aware of considerable interfaith dialogue and even ecumenical services involving Lutherans and other denominations. However, it appears this particular sect is indeed hard-line conservative.

The Missouri synod of the Lutheran Church seems to get more right wing crazy every day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tshrimp

How is this a right or left wing thing? They might be a right wing religion for all I know, but this is not a right wing / left wing topic.

Exactly! Ugg what make you think that all or most people that believe in religion are right-winged? I grew up in Chicago and have many friends that are catholic and are left-winged democrats that believe in pro-life and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Exactly! Ugg what make you think that all or most people that believe in religion are right-winged? I grew up in Chicago and have many friends that are catholic and are left-winged democrats that believe in pro-life and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Pastor Morris should not of had to apologize for this.

I'm not bashing religion in general, I'm bashing the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church of America. Take a look at what they believe in in comparison to the Wisconsin Synod. They are worlds apart.

Exactly! Ugg what make you think that all or most people that believe in religion are right-winged? I grew up in Chicago and have many friends that are catholic and are left-winged democrats that believe in pro-life and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Pastor Morris should not of had to apologize for this.

Wait....if someone says they are left winged but actually support right wing views then aren't they actually right wingers? I can call myself religious but if I don't go to church, don't pray and don't believe in god, I'm not really religious am I.

I've been interested in the psychology of this for a while. So, apparently, have been some psychologists, and, in the last 15 years or so there has been some very interesting work. For those interested, I suggest going to Google Scholar and plugging in the Blogowska and Saroglou paper cited below. It is online, it cites other papers, other papers cite it, and so on. I posted this in another thread:

If he had any character, he would leave that church and join one that better suits him and his beliefs. There are so many churches that are not like this and do not preach hate.

Agreed. Lutheran churches, even. But, this particular issue goes all the way back to the early days of the Lutheran Church.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VideoFreek

Apparently. I was initially confused by this story, because I was aware of considerable interfaith dialogue and even ecumenical services involving Lutherans and other denominations. However, it appears this particular sect is indeed hard-line conservative.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ugg

Can you show me any left wingers who've done something similar? The left is generally about inclusion, the right about exclusion.

In the Blogowska and related papers, they study this question. "Inclusion", ecumenicism, and so on, would the "prosocial" element. As opposed to the "authoritarian" element.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ugg

I'm not bashing religion in general, I'm bashing the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church of America. Take a look at what they believe in in comparison to the Wisconsin Synod. They are worlds apart.

It seems that every religion has its political/authoritarian element, although it has always puzzled me that Christianity does, too. Despite the startling ethical principle: "Love your enemy."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac'nCheese

Wait....if someone says they are left winged but actually support right wing views then aren't they actually right wingers? I can call myself religious but if I don't go to church, don't pray and don't believe in god, I'm not really religious am I.

FWIW, I can definitely say that I have met any number of "pious" people who have no interest in "theology" whatsoever.